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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 116 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  2. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  3. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  4. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  5. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  6. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  7. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  8. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  9. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  10. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  11. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  12. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  13. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  14. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  15. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  16. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  17. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  18. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  19. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  20. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  21. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  22. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  23. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  24. David sat on the ________________.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. ruler — a monarch
  2. swing — in golf
  3. pitch — a sports field
  4. cap — of ice
  5. pitch — a sales talk
  6. snap — to speak sharply
  7. ruler — for measuring
  8. snap — to snap out of it
  9. snap — to click
  10. cap — a lid
  11. bark — of a tree
  12. race — the arms race
  13. band — a rubber band
  14. band — a music group
  15. swing — music
  16. bark — to shout
  17. race — humankind
  18. cap — a hat
  19. band — a ring
  20. race — a contest
  21. ruler — for measuring
  22. pitch — completely
  23. bark — a dog's sound
  24. swing — to play on

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com